In the prior art, it is known on the one hand to form a windshield support or cowl 22 in one piece with a front bulkhead or on the other hand, to form a windshield support or cowl 22 and a front bulkhead as multipart and fix these to one another. In most cases, the connection of the windshield support or cowl 22 to the front bulkhead is provided with a stiffening profile, in most cases a hollow profile, so that the windshield support or cowl 22 has a sufficient stiffness for receiving the loads acting thereon. However, the profile cross sections required for this require a comparatively large amount of space so that in the engine compartment or in the passenger compartment, there is less space available for other built-in components.
The windshield support structure known in the prior art is particularly problematical in vehicles having the windshield drawn far forward, as is being increasingly frequently developed to optimize space in the interior of the vehicle.
At least one object of the invention is therefore to provide a windshield support structure, which exhibits very good stiffness with a smaller space requirement than conventional windshield support structures. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for producing a windshield support structure whereby a windshield support structure can additionally be produced simply and cost-effectively. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and/or detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.